Practicing Ophthalmologists Curriculum (POC)

The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), at the invitation of the ABO, has created a Practicing Ophthalmologists Curriculum (POC), an ophthalmic knowledge base that identifies and defines areas of clinically relevant knowledge important to the delivery of quality eye care. The POC is an evidence based document prepared by 100 clinical ophthalmologists in comprehensive ophthalmology and nine subspecialties, at least half of whom have time-limited certificates.

The POC is the knowledge base of ophthalmic information that will serve as the basis for the ABO’s MOC examinations. Organized in outline format by practice emphasis area (PEA), the sections of the POC correspond to the modules offered in the ABO’s PORT and DOCK examinations:

• Core Ophthalmic Knowledge (Core) is knowledge considered fundamental to the practice of ophthalmology regardless of an individual’s practice emphasis. The DOCK and PORT examinations require ABO diplomates to take one 50-item module in Core.
• Practice Emphasis Area (PEA) is knowledge considered important to an ophthalmologist who has a particular practice emphasis. The ABO offers modules in ten PEAs, for both the PORT and DOCK:

  • Cataract/Anterior Segment

  • Cornea and External Disease

  • Glaucoma

  • Neuro-ophthalmology/Orbit

  • Oculoplastics/Orbit

  • Pediatric Ophthalmology/Strabismus

  • Refractive Intervention/Management

  • Retina/Vitreous

  • Uveitis

Feedback from the PORT examination will reference the POC. The information in the POC also forms the basis for the AAO’s MOC products and services (See "What is the AAO?" below).

Version 2.0 of the POC became available for free to AAO members in November 2007. Every PEA topic and content was sent for review and approval to each subspecialty society in 2006 and the whole Curriculum has been reviewed and approved by the ABO, who has agreed to let Version 2.0 stand for three years (until November 2010). The DOCK and PORT exams for 2008, 2009 and 2010 will based on the POC version 2.0.

What is the AAO?
The AAO is a national membership association of ophthalmologists. The mission of the AAO is to advance the lifelong learning and professional interests of ophthalmologists to ensure that the public can obtain the best possible eye care.

Although both the ABO and AAO have roles to play in the MOC process, they are clearly distinct. The role of the ABO is to evaluate and certify, and the role of the AAO is to educate. While it takes a bit more effort to figure out the alphabet soup of evaluation tools and programs and the educational products designed to support these programs, the ABO and AAO believe that their individual efforts ultimately benefit the public and the ophthalmic community through the creation of a streamlined, complementary effort of education and evaluation.

For more information on the AAO’s MOC efforts, visit the AAO’s comprehensive resource for products and information to support ophthalmologists’ efforts to maintain certification: Academy MOC Essentials (www.aao.org/ame). This site contains a range of products based on the POC, as well as links to other AAO products and services to aid continuing medical education (CME).

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